Newbie wielding Worksharp Ken Onion... Be afraid! :D

[MooreRushVai]

Hello all.

It seems that the camping/boy-scouting/bug-out-bag creation has resulted in the purchase of several knives and machetes and hawks...

I may have gotten the bug.
:applouse:

So I got the Ken Onion version of the Worksharp and followed their instructions, not the least of which is starting with a non-favorite knife.
I tested it out on a new Cold Steel Pendleton Lite Hunter.
It seemed marginally sharp, based on the paper cutting standard.

I followed their instructions and seemed to get nowhere.
I couldn't tell if I was actually getting a burr or not.

I tried many times.
Thinking maybe that it would just take more reps or higher speed, I tried both.
To no avail.

So I decided to get scientific and experiment.
I held a one-inch portion of the blade on the sandpaper for about 4 seconds.
Then I repeated on the other side.

To my surprise it took off a LOT of metal!
Totally changed the shape of the blade relative to the rest of the knife.

Yup.
That's why one experiments with a relatively throw away blade at $18.
I've heard of guys reshaping their blades intentionally so I'm not really worried about it.
I'm sure I can fix it in time.

So, questions.
Is the paper cutting or hair shaving test the standard? I've got a Mora Companion that didn't do so well at this OOtB. The BK2 was TERRIBLE! The BK9 actually did pretty well as did the Buck 141. The Condor Kukri barely cut paper at all, but that may be the wrong test for this blade.

Is this a really crappy knife?

Do I need to change the blade shape to get it right? The Onion wants to create a convex shaped blade. I wonder if that's partly because the sandpaper inserts bend when pressure is applied and it would be difficult to create a different blade contour if using the angle guides. I'm sure one could do so if "eyeballing" it, which requires other skills as well I bet.

Is the Worksharp really a good tool for this?

Thanks in advance for all of your opinions.
B

 

[MerryMadMonk]

The Work Sharp Ken Onion edition has been discussed a lot in this forum. I recommend reading the threads below, if you haven't already.


Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener - Ken Onion Edition


Worksharp Ken Onion Impressions and Discussion (Excellent video on page 3)


Work Sharp Ken Onion edition is FREAKIN' AWESOME! Long Post

 

[MooreRushVai]

Okay.
OP here.

So I put that CS knife on a coarse then fine stone for awhile.
It seemed to get better though it was never pretty.

I went back to the WS Onion, checked my technique, took my time.

The blade cleaned up nicely but wouldn't cut paper or shave.
Then I stropped it a few times.

WOW!
What a difference!
It now slices paper pretty well.
It's not quite shaving sharp but it's damn close.

Cheers everyone!
B

 

[SOFileworks]

After having the original worksharp for a couple of years now, this is what I've found.

First, unless I'm completely reprofiling a blade, I never use the really course belts.

Second, make sure you only apply very light pressure to the blade, genereally the weight of the blade alone is enough to do the trick.

Third, make sure you release the switch before you pull the knife completely through the guides, if you don't you'll find that you're going to lose an awful lot of tips on knives with thin blades and clip or trailing points.

Lastly, I think after a while you're gonna find that the guides on the machine are not really necessary. You're gonna start to freehand your edges against the belt so you can see where on the blade you are. You'll easily be able to pick the blade up off the belt before you do any damage.

All things considered though, this is a very handy tool, depending on the blade steel and shape. It works really well for D2 steel or larger heavier "thicker" bladed knives where you would be working forever with a stone just to get any results. It's not as controlled as my guided diamond hone system, and doesn't produce those polished edges that many people find so fascinating, again like my guided diamond hone, but it works pretty darned well for what it is, and it kind of fills the gap until you decide to get a full sized belt grinder.

 

[MooreRushVai]

SOfileworks -
Yes, I've been pondering not using the guides.
They're kind of distracting and they don't work as well toward the tip end of the knife.

I've got a good eye for angles and I do well with a knife on a stone so I think I'll be fine eyeballing it.

Would that also make it easier to do something other than just a convex grind?
I'm sure there are knives or scenarios where a different grind is preferred.

B

 

[scubasteve1942]

I could not for the life of me get any blades, besides kitchen knives, sharp with the standard Ken onion work sharp. The guides really seemed to get in the way. Once I got to a certain point they would not offer any "guidance" and I was left free handing the angle. I recently picked up the blade grinder attachment and boy does that make a difference. Its so easy to just hold the blade horizontal and pull it across the belt while watching the burr form. I'm getting some really good edges now.